Aside

Contact

Language Skills

R
German
Bash
Python
SQL
Mandarin Chinese
AWK

Disclaimer

The source code
for this CV is available
on github.com/rajewski/resume.

Main

Alex Rajewski

A molecular biologist and bioinformatician focusing on plant genetics and evolution. I am an excellent science communicator to both public and professional audiences.

I am currently looking for industry positions that will allow me to develop my coding and genomics skills on real-world applications.

Education

PhD. Candidate, Plant Biology

University of California

Riverside, CA

Dec 2020 - 2015

MS: Horticulture

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

2015 - 2013

  • Thesis: Micropropagation and Evaluation of the Genetic Population Structure of River Cane (Arundinaria giganta)

BS: Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

2010 - 2006

Research Experience

Research Assistant

Dept of Botany and Plant Science

University of California

2020 - 2015

  • Created and characterized CRISPR mutants for a trait validation project
  • Sequenced, assembled, and functionally annotated the genome of Datura stramonium
  • Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellow
  • Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Fellow

Research Assistant

Dept of Horticulture

University of Georgia

2015 - 2013

  • Planned and executed field studies at 3 sites both public and private
  • Established collaborations with researchers at 5 institutions
  • University-Wide Graduate Assistantship recipient

Research Intern

Universität Rostock

Rostock, Germany

July 2012 - Jan 2012

  • Developed plant transformation methods in lupine, pea, tobacco, and potato
  • Investigate transgenic vaccine peptides
  • Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Fellow

Research Intern

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC

Aug 2009 - May 2009

  • Validated viral protein production in novel hosts
  • NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program

I have developed diverse skils including NGS library prep and data analysis, phylogenetics, R, population genetics, and Git.

Industry Experience

Research Assistant

Pioneer Hi-Bred (Corteva)

Johnston, IA

2011 - 2010

  • Developed SQL database to integrate phenotypic and genotypic measurements

Teaching Experience

Tools for building highly customized figures

Botany Conference

Tucson, AZ

2019

  • Co-taught a workshop using base R graphics for data presentation

Making Your Work Environment LGBTQ+ Welcoming and Affirming

Plant Biology Conference

San Jose, CA

2019

  • Hosted a panel discussion on LGBTQ+ representation and workplace issues
  • Recruited speakers from both academia and industry

California’s Cornucopia (TA)

UCR Dept of Botany and Plant Science

Riverside, CA

2018

  • Led discussion sections for 120 students
  • Introductory, non-major course

Foundations of Plant Biology (TA)

UCR Dept of Botany and Plant Science

Riverside, CA

2016

  • Designed and led lab sections for 80 students
  • Broad, upper-division course

Peer-Reviewed Publications

I have two first-author publications and have also collaborated on two more.

Datura Genome Reveals Duplications of Psychoactive Alkaloid Biosynthetic Genes and High Mutation Rate Following Tissue Culture

BMC Genomics (submitted)
Alex Rajewski, Derreck Carter-House, Jason Stajich, and Amy Litt

N/A

2020

in Vitro Plant Regeneration and Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated Transformation of Datura stramonium

Applications in Plant Science
Alex Rajewski, Kevan Elkins, Ashley Henry, Joyce Van Eck, and Amy Litt

N/A

2019

Evolution and Diversification of FRUITFULL Genes in Solanaceae

Frontiers in Plant Science
Dinusha Maheepala, Chris Emerling, Alex Rajewski, Jenna Macon, Maya Stahl, Natalia Pabón-Mora, and Amy Litt

N/A

2019

Classification and phylogenetic analyses of the Arabidopsis and tomato G-type lectin receptor kinases

BMC Genomics
Marcella A. Teixeira, Alex Rajewski, Jiangman He, Olenka G. Castaneda, Amy Litt, and Isgouhi Kaloshian

N/A

2018

Oral and Poster Presentations

I am an excellent science communicator with several awards for public speaking at national scientific conferences.

Multispecies fruit transcriptomes highlight divergence across developmental and evolutionary time

Oral presentation

Botany Conference

2020

Hybrid Origin of Bamboo Population Inferred from Haplotype-Phased Amplicon sequencing

Southern California Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics Meeting

Oral presentation

2019

Identification of Conserved Regulatory Modules in Dry and Fleshy Fruit Development

Oral presentation

Botany Conference

2019

There and Back Again: When Evolution Reverses

Three-Minute Thesis Competition

American Society for Horticultural
Science (ASHS) Conference

2017

  • 3rd Place Award

Optimizing Tissue Culture Methods in Diverse Nightshade Species

Poster Presentation

ASHS Conference

2017

Developmental Transcriptome of Nicotiana obtusifolia

Poster Presentation

UC Riverside CEPCEB
Post-Doc Symposium

2017

Optimizing Tissue Culture Methods in Diverse Solanaceae Species

Poster Presentation

Solanaceae Conference

2016

A Family Divided: Evolution of Dry and Fleshy Fruit in Nightshades

Three-Minute Thesis Competition

ASHS Conference

2016

  • 1st Place Award

Raising Cane: Sustainable Bamboo Restoration in the American Southeast

Three-Minute Thesis Competition

ASHS Conferencee
University of Georgia

2015

  • 1st Place Award at ASHS
  • Top 10 at UGA

Clonal Structure, Genetic Diversity, and in vitro Propagation of River Cane (Arundinaria gigantea), a candidate for use in wetlands reclamation

Oral presentation

Southern Region ASHS Conference

2015

Disinfestation and in vitro Growth and Development of Arundinaria

Oral presentation

UGA Interdisciplinary
Graduate Plant and Soil Symposium

2014

  • 1st Place Award (Masters Category)

Sterilization and in vitro Growth and Development of Arundinaria

Poster Presentation

Southern Region of North America
International Plant Propagators Society Conference

2014

Comparison of the Symptoms Caused by Three Geminiviruses in a Common Host

Poster Presentation

NCSU Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium
Drake University Conference on Undergraduate Research in the Sciences

2009